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GibbsCAM Adds Student Edition

By Dian Schaffhauser

12/03/12

A company that develops applications for the toolmaking and manufacturing industries has introduced a student version of its software. Gibbs and Associates'GibbsCAM Student Edition will provide a discounted option for students who want to learn how to use the computer-aided manufacturing system for programming computer numerically controlled machine tools. The company has also launched an online student store, which will sell to students enrolled in high school, technical schools, colleges, and universities.

The Student Edition is available for $100 per year in a downloadable version. According to the company, it's compatible with a classroom edition of the same software--and, in fact, is only available to students currently enrolled in institutions using that edition. The program provides students with a way to practice numeric control programming and gain familiarity with common configurations of machine tools. The software includes solid modeling, 3D milling and turning, and polar and cylindrical support, as well as machine simulation and the ability to read files from programs such as Dassault Systemes' SolidWorks and AutoDesk Inventor.

The launch addresses the "growing need and pent-up student demand for GibbsCAM licenses that can be used outside the classroom," said Robb Weinstein, senior vice president of sales and strategic planning. We are happy to offer future engineers, machinists, and [numerically controlled] programmers an additional, more convenient, and very economical opportunity to experiment, learn, and practice, at their convenience, unconstrained by the duration of a class period. As a result, the Student Edition augments classroom instruction and helps educational facilities better prepare their students for industry."